Hippity Hop, Easter's Coming
by Dolores-the-Dip
Summary: Another PEANUTS THE NEXT CHAPTER fan episode.
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: EASTER ACCORDING TO PEPPERMINT PATTY**

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: This episode will have some narration from Marcie (and later on, some narration from Peppermint Patty), it will be in italics, like in this paragraph. And now, without further ado, here's the story_

"What happened to the kitchen, Marcie?" a shocked Peppermint Patty asked; the whole kitchen was covered in red, yellow and blue dyes, egg yolks and egg shells.

"It's…a long story, Sir…" Marcie blushed. She too was covered in red, yellow and blue dyes.

"Well you better start explaining right now, missy!" a furious Lucy Van Pelt bossed.

_You see…well...it might sound silly but…what is the use in telling them? I mean, no one would believe me; but no one believes in the Great Squash except for Linus._

"Marcie, we want an explanation NOW; not next Easter." Patty bossed, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Yeah, kiddo." Peppermint Patty agreed, looking ready to blow a fuse.

_Oh jeez…I can't get out of this alive…it's best to tell them everything from the beginning…right? Wrong! No one is going to believe me!_

"Just tell us what happened to MY kitchen and we won't have a problem." Lucy scolded.

"Wow…this looks like the Halloween we egged the neighborhood, only more colorful…" Rattler realized.

"Yeah…too colorful." Cobra hissed.

"Is everything alright?" Linus asked as he and Rerun entered the house, only to be greeted by the mess awaiting them.

"Better yet, what happened?" Rerun added.

"Marcie here ruined everything." Peppermint Patty accused.

"This is gonna take forever to clean up!" Patty sighed.

"And maybe even longer…how did egg yolks get on the ceiling?" Violet worried.

"And we thought Pigpen was a mess…" Lucy mumbled under her breath.

"We better prepare for Easter, with or without the eggs…" Rerun expressed.

"I already told you, the Easter Beagle takes care of all that." Linus reminded.

"The who?" Rattler, Cobra and Melanie asked in unison.

"The Easter Beagle." He repeated.

"What kind of beagle is that?" Melanie wondered.

"On Easter Sunday, the Easter Beagle delivers beautifully decorated eggs to all the good little kids in the world; so if you were a good girl all year, you can be expecting an egg from the Easter Beagle." Linus gives the best explanations about weird and wonderful things.

"That doesn't explain the kitchen though…" Rattler reminded.

_I guessed they really wanted an explanation…so I told them…and if you're really curious; I'm just as ashamed at myself, but I can't help it…I wanted to do something perfectly and-I'll explain from the very beginning…I guess it happened two days ago._

**NEXT CHAPTER: KRISSY AND CLAUDIA'S FIRST TIME COLORING EASTER EGGS**


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: JUST AS MESSY**

_**THURSDAY, TWO DAYS EARLIER**_

"Morning Freckles." Rattler sighed, walking over to Cobra's house.

"What's up, Holly?" Peppermint Patty asked, Easter baskets on her arm as she held onto a list in her mouth, muffling her voice slightly.

"Not much…just preparing for Lucy's Easter Party…"

"Lucky…I have to face worse stuff…"

"Really?"

"Yeah…Marcie and I are gonna be preparing Easter Eggs."

"Sounds nice."

"That's the problem…it's an accident waiting to happen."

"Tell me how it goes, Freckles…I'm gonna be late."

"Okay…bye, Rattler." And with that, Peppermint Patty dashed off, bumping into Krissy and Claudia.

"Hey!" Krissy scolded.

"Sorry!" the freckled girl sighed.

"What're you up to?" the teen wondered.

"Marcie and I are preparing Easter Eggs...this is never a good thing."

"It isn't?" Claudia questioned, cocking her head in confusion.

Meanwhile, Charlie Brown, Marcie and Frieda were looking at all the pretty tulips in the windows. "Aren't they adorable?" Frieda swooned, gently plucking a flower and handing it to her boyfriend as he blushed.

"It sure is, babe." Charlie Brown smiled, surprised at the new gift.

"Yeah…they sure are nice." Marcie smiled sadly.

"What's wrong, hun?" Frieda noticed.

"Should I try making a surprise for Peppermint Patty?"

"If you want to…we can even help you if you want."

"No thanks, Frieda…I want to do something for her on my own…to say 'Thank you for being a friend'…what can I do?"

"You can make her a bouquet of flowers, bake cookies or even decorate a beautiful egg for her."

"That's it!"

"What's it, Marcie?" Charlie Brown wondered.

"I can make Peppermint Patty's Easter wonderful by preparing all of the Easter eggs myself." That last word made Frieda's hair stand up.

"Be careful, hun." The curly haired girl reminded.

"I will!"

_And with that, I took off. I guess I should've looked out because before I knew it, I crashed straight into Pigpen, Violet, Shermy, Ox and Patty. They didn't mind though and seemed to shrug it off. Maybe they were Easter shopping. I remember thinking 'Won't they be surprised to find out they set up the Halloween decorations already?' I remember hearing something crack._

"What's the rush?" Patty wondered.

"I have no idea." Ox shrugged.

"So…who wants to help me with my egg coloring project?" Pigpen asked, holding up a ceramic egg. Next to him were eleven broken beige ceramic eggs from Schulz's Arts and Crafts.

"I think we should clean up the egg shells first…" Violet suggested.

"Oh good grief…" Shermy chuckled.

"Whatever got into that kid sure seems important…" Ox added.

"Yeah…" Patty giggled, helping Violet and Pigpen clean up the ceramic eggshells: they only saved one egg.

"She didn't even apologize…" Violet realized. "Think she's got a big project planned?"

"What could she be planning this time?" Shermy wondered, assuming Marcie was Claudia.

Ox shrugged. "Maybe it's a surprise, guys."

"Who knows?" Patty sighed.

"How about Hans? He and Franco probably know what Marcie's been up to…" Pigpen chuckled.

"Yeah…" Violet sighed as they picked up the last ceramic egg shell.

_I really aren't on their good list right now…so I thought that making Easter eggs for them could also help…now I really had my hands full._

Claudia was also getting ready with Krissy for Easter. Their relatives were coming over so they were assigned to make an egg hunt for the tots.

"I hadn't colored Easter eggs since I was your age, Claude…maybe even younger." Krissy giggled.

"Really?" Claudia wondered.

"Yeah…"

"Why?"

"I sucked at coloring the eggs…"

"You did?"

"Yeah, little sis…you have all the art talent; my skill is crochet."

"I n-noticed."

The two sisters smiled as they got the egg dyes out and began preparing the eggs, with Mrs. Grandin supervising them from the living room. It was soon discovered that Krissy was horrible at dying eggs: they all fell into the dye, splashing her in red, yellow and blue. Naturally, Claudia found it to be hilarious, laughing at her big sister's antics.

"Serves me right for making my own egg holder, huh?" Krissy giggled.

"Y-you look like a c-c-colorful Pigpen." Claudia laughed.

"Well I guess I do." The two sisters gave a hearty laugh. Claudia liked these sister bonding moments as she and Krissy could be together. Sometimes their older sister, Kayla (now an adult), would be visiting and sometimes she'd laugh out loud with her sisters too. Just simple family moments like that.

"Now what're you and your friends up to lately?" Krissy questioned, beeping Claudia on the nose.

"P-p-Peppermint Patty and Marcie are p-preparing Easter Eggs." Claudia smiled.

"Sounds nice."

"Not according to Peppermint Patty."

_Yup. Peppermint Patty got so worried about me goofing this up that she advised Claudia about our first (and almost last) attempt at making Easter eggs. What a good friend…_

**NEXT CHAPTER: SLEEPING IN A TULIP BED**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: AWAKE ALL NIGHT, AWAKE ALL DAY**

_**(EARLY) FRIDAY MORNING; A DAY EARLIER**_

It was only four thirty in the morning and Marcie was sighing, trying to focus on how to surprise Peppermint Patty AND make up for breaking Pigpen's ceramic Easter eggs. Even Charlie Brown could sleep nights even when he had the whole world on his shoulders; Marcie however couldn't sleep. Not even for five minutes.

A knock at the door caught her attention as she jumped in alarm, fell out of bed and landed on the rug. "Who's there?" Marcie shrieked in alarm as the door opened. Two green eyes stared at her blankly as a high pitched scream escaped the nine-year-old's mouth before she covered her mouth in guilt.

"Marcie, calm down…it's just me: Peppermint Patty…Patricia Marie Reichardt…'Sir'." A groggy voice explained, turning the light on.

"Sir? What're you doing up?" Marcie questioned, trembling a little.

"I was just…what're YOU doing up at this hour?" Peppermint Patty replied.

"I was just…I had a nightmare, Sir…" the younger girl trembled, hoping the age-old-con would fool her best friend. Peppermint Patty never bought the act.

"Marcie Carlin, what're you reading this time that's more important than sleep?" the tomboy chuckled.

"Nothing too important, Sir." Marcie blushed.

"As if, Marcie…did you sleep at all?"

"Sleep is for the weak, Sir!"

"Marcie…it's 4:32 am. People are sleeping. I was sleeping."

"Is everything okay, Sir?"

"No, Marcie! I was working on a bon-" the tomboy instantly cut herself off.

_I didn't think much of Patty ending her sentence halfway at the time…she does this a lot so I'm pretty much immune to it…_

"Working on a what, Sir?" Marcie questioned in wonder, cocking her head a little.

"A bonfire, Marce…nothing too important. C'mon, kid…you're exhausted…" Peppermint Patty chuckled, handing her best friend a hand. "Back to bed."

"Sir, I'm not tired." The younger of the girls denied.

"That's what they all say…I'll be back later. Try to get some sleep." The freckled girl smiled, turning off the light as she tiptoed out of her best friend's room.

Once Marcie was sure Patty left, she grabbed her flashlight and looked over her blue prints once again. "Okay…according to this…I'm gonna have to color…twenty four eggs…each one exclusively unique…good grief. I really bit off more than I could chew. Aughhh! I also have to get chocolates and candies for everyone. So much to do and only today and tomorrow to get it all done…I'll never get it all done in time…" she groaned.

_Well…guess who didn't sleep at all that night…yeah, I know…I was just really anxious and sleep was off the menu-metaphorically._

A few hours rolled by and Charlie Brown and Frieda were at Peppermint Patty's house to help her with bonnet making. Lucy and Melanie were also with them and the five had a nice conversation about Easter plans.

"So I told Frankie how beautiful the eggs we were preparing were but he got mad at me…" Melanie sighed.

"That's because the eggs weren't even decorated yet." Frieda laughed.

"Really? I thought the beige was a nice touch on them." The blonde girl smiled. Lucy burst into laughter as she helped Peppermint Patty prepare another bonnet, tying a red ribbon around it.

"How about you Patricia? What're you up to?" Lucy smiled.

"Once I finish with this bonnet job, I have to work on some Easter eggs with Marcie…" the tomboy suddenly went quiet, headed for the door and walked off.

"That was awkward." Melanie realized.

Once Peppermint Patty reached her best friend's house, she was shocked to find that the door was locked as if no one was home. Oddly enough, it DID look like no one was home; except for one tiny detail: Patty saw a light on in her best friend's room. "She's probably reading…" she sighed in relief, walking back towards her friends in a calm manner.

"So?" Frieda questioned.

"I was just checking up on Marcie…she's fine." The freckled girl smiled.

"Thank goodness." Charlie Brown sighed.

"Am I the only one noticing she's been acting weird?" Frieda pointed out.

"Why?" Melanie questioned in confusion.

"She's just been kind of antsy…" the curly haired girl sighed. "And Violet told me she bumped into her, Patty, Ox, Shermy and Pigpen yesterday."

"Ow." Charlie Brown cringed. "Are they hurt?"

"No, luckily. Patty only has a skinned knee and Pigpen's art project was broken…"

"What's he up to this time?" Lucy asked.

"He's painting ceramic Easter eggs…why?"

"It sounds like a nice project." Melanie smiled.

"If eleven of the twelve eggs weren't smashed, it'd be nice for us to help him with."

"Huh?" the four kids asked in unison.

"Never mind." Frieda blushed.

Claudia and Krissy were also busy, preparing chocolate over the stove with their dad's old recipe book. Claudia had absolutely no memories of her dad, his voice or what he looked like. All she knew was that he had a wicked chocolate recipe that she'd beg her mom to make constantly and that he was once in the army as a messenger or something like that.

"Claude, what're you thinking of?" Krissy asked in concern as Claudia let out a long sigh.

"W-w-what was dad like?" Claudia wondered.

"Dad was the best dad Kayla and I could've asked for…_was_." Krissy smiled.

"Where is he now?" the youngest Grandin sister added.

"I don't know, little sis." The middle Grandin child lied, hiding the chills down her back.

"D-do you think he'll b-be home for Easter?" that was one of Claudia's hardest hitting questions. Those words hit Krissy like a ton of bricks. Their dad never saw a picture of Claudia once…he was always a bit of a rebel and Krissy vowed her mom and Kayla to never tell Claudia about the incidents. It was time to spill the beans but Claudia just gave Krissy an innocent stare. One that shouldn't be told the cold reality.

"He'll be home this time…" Krissy lied. She couldn't crush her sister's dreams of meeting their dad THIS time.

"P-promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die. Now come on, let's get this chocolate molded." Not another word was shared between the two girls until Claudia stared at the sugar bag. "Dad liked sugar…" Krissy sighed, her smile began fading as she remembered those words ring in her head: 'Five years for drug trafficking.' Five years…half of Claudia's life. Then there were the other words: 'Ten years for drunk driving.' Ten years…that was how old Claudia turned in September. "Only five years left…" Krissy muttered to herself.

It was those words that haunted her at night, causing sleepless night after sleepless night. For now, Krissy could only sigh at her littlest sister; the most naïve kid of the household and Krissy's responsibility since the past ten years. Claudia was forever going to be Krissy's pride and joy.

**NEXT CHAPTER: PAINT WITH ALL THE COLORS OF THE SPRING**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: PERFECTION NEVER SLEEPS**

_**FRIDAY AFTERNOON; ONE DAY AGO**_

"Come on, Franco." Peppermint Patty called out to her boyfriend as he perked up a little.

"Where we going?" he questioned as he followed her.

"I've got a bad feeling about leaving Marcie alone for so long…" she replied doubtfully.

"Are you kidding?" Franklin snorted. "She's probably waiting for you already." He reassured as Melanie nodded her head in agreement.

"I hope so…" Peppermint Patty sighed as she headed to her best friend's house, prepared to face any mess being made. All she saw was a spotless kitchen with a note on the counter. "At Linus and Lucy's house with Hans-Marcie." She read aloud.

"Well?" Franco wondered.

"We pop them a visit, Franco, babe."

"Okay…" there weren't any other words shared between them as they headed to the Van Pelt house. The first thing the two saw was Lucy grabbing her Easter baskets as Schroeder got some plastic Easter eggs. Linus and Eudora were also helping, getting candy ducks and chocolate bunnies. Rerun and Piper had also decided to help with the festivities by making origami animals; well they tried to make the origami look perfect.

"Es ist fast Ostern, Freundin. Jeder bereitet sich vor*." Franco pointed out.

"You can say that again." Schroeder agreed.

"What'd he say?" Lucy questioned.

"I have no idea…where're Marcie and Hans?" Peppermint Patty realized.

"Backyard. Painting." Rerun explained.

"They're doing what?" Lucy asked.

"Why?" Piper noticed.

"What're they painting?" Linus questioned.

"Easter eggs." Eudora answered.

**CRACK**

**CRACK **

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK **

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

**CRACK**

Twenty-four cracks loudly rang out. It sounded like a hundred.

"What was that?" Schroeder realized.

"Hans and Marcie are painting Easter Eggs…I just told you." Eudora repeated.

_In case you didn't get the memo, Hans and I learnt that Easter eggs are not to be painted raw…all twenty-four eggs were cracked…just like my confidence. _

"Sounds like they broke the eggs." Lucy joked.

"I told Marcie to only paint twelve eggs; not twenty-four…" Linus sighed.

"Twenty-four?!" Peppermint Patty and Franco questioned in alarm.

"Yeah, twenty-four." Eudora replied.

"Twenty-four Easter eggs? Good grief…" Schroeder chuckled.

"Not even Chuck could break so many Easter eggs." Peppermint Patty laughed as she, Franco, Schroeder, Lucy, Linus, Eudora, Rerun and Piper ran to the backyard only to find Marcie and Hans covered in egg yolks, egg shells and many different colors of vibrant acrylic paint. "Oy, Marcie." The tomboy chuckled.

"Sorry, Sir…" Marcie blushed.

"We were just painting." Hans added.

"Well you don't prepare Easter eggs RAW." Lucy tried bossing whilst in a fit of laughter.

"You don't fry, roast, toast, waffle or make Easter eggs into a soup either…what am I supposed to do exactly?" Marcie questioned.

"Just do nothing." Peppermint Patty replied.

"Nothing?" Hans wondered.

_Yeah. My own best friend told me the best thing to do was NOTHING…some friend. Oh yeah, she also told Hans and I to clean up._

Sometime later, Claudia and Krissy came over with chocolates. "They're h-homemade." Claudia explained innocently. "My dad's r-recipe."

"These are amazing, Claude." Peppermint Patty smiled, scarfing down chocolate after chocolate.

"Thanks." Krissy smiled.

"Are they good, Sir?" Marcie wondered.

"Yeah." Claudia smiled.

"But I wouldn't eat any chocolate if I were you; I'd lay it off instead." Lucy teased.

"Don't you ever learn, Lucy?" Linus asked.

"Learn what?"

"It's not fun to poke fun at someone for looking different."

"Meaning?"

"If you want to live, don't say those things to girls." Thibault explained.

"Wow Claudia…what's in this chocolate?" Rattler asked.

"Peanuts, vanilla, almonds and c-c-coconut milk." Claudia smiled.

"Gross!" Linus grimaced.

"Really?" Eudora wondered.

"You LIKE these chocolates?"

"No; I poured ketchup and maple syrup on my piece of chocolate." She smiled.

"I'm going to be sick." Rerun announced, running for the bathroom.

"Your girlfriend has some weird food cravings." Peppermint Patty chuckled.

"Thanks." The raven haired girl in the indigo hat smiled.

"Want to know a Serpent Secret?" Cobra wondered.

"Sure, Sylvia." Thibault smiled.

"Us Serpent Sisters enjoying egging houses more than making Easter eggs." Rattler joked as she and Cobra burst into laughter.

"Don't remind me…" Lucy snickered.

_I guess those three have their Easter plans already set up._

Krissy giggled as she passed the syrup to Eudora who drizzled it on her third piece of chocolate. "Good thing we made five batches…" Krissy smiled.

"Is your family that big?" Schroeder asked.

"No; my friends love my dad's chocolate." She replied.

"I don't blame them…I can't even taste the coconut milk." Peppermint Patty smiled.

"Have you been sleeping well?" Linus wondered later on as he, Marcie, Claudia, Lucy and Peppermint Patty lounged in the family room.

"Yeah, why?" Marcie denied.

"You look kinda sleepy. Don't worry though; the Easter Beagle will handle all the egg preparations for Sunday so you can sleep." He explained as Krissy looked over at her sister's friends.

_Don't ask, Krissy; don't you dare ask._

"The who?" Krissy wondered.

_She asked him._

"No one important, Krissy…just some little kids' game." Lucy groaned.

"Oh…I used to believe in the tooth fairy; we're in the same boat." The brown haired teenager smiled.

"Cool." Linus smiled.

_I couldn't sleep last night either. I was a bit too busy with buying the art supplies, eggs, basket materials, ribbons, lace and candies for everyone. Then I had to assemble the ribbons and lace on the baskets which kept falling apart._

**NEXT CHAPTER: NOW I KNOW HOW THE EASTER BUNNY FEELS, SIR**

German Translations:

*: It's almost Easter, girlfriend. Everyone's preparing.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: PEPPERMINT PATTY STEPS IN**

_**PRESENT DAY**_

Marcie sighed as Melanie looked around the kitchen in complete confusion. "Who's gonna clean the roof?" the blonde girl asked.

"Doesn't mater right now." Peppermint Patty spat out angrily. "Right now, we need Marcie to tell us how the kitchen got so messy." She reminded.

"Oh yeah…" Melanie blushed.

"This has nothing to do with the blender, does it?" Lucy questioned, pointing to the blender full of egg yolks and shells.

"Maybe…" Marcie quivered.

"You can tell us…we're your friends." Eudora reminded.

_**EARLIER THAT DAY**_

"_I'll get the door, mom!" Lucy called out as Rerun opened the door just as Lucy was coming._

"_It's Marcie." Rerun explained._

"_I was expecting her." Lucy smiled. _

"_Why? Didn't we learn from yesterday?" Linus reminded._

"_Yeah, but Marcie's still helping us with the Easter eggs…Peppermint Patty is not going to put up with her this time." The fussbudget added._

"_Just don't make a mess and we won't have anymore problems." Linus explained._

"_You got it, Linus." Marcie smiled._

"_And don't make the same mistakes as last time either." Lucy added._

_**PRESENT DAY**_

"I knew it was a bad idea from the start." Linus exclaimed. "I just knew it!"

"But the kitchen looks nice in red…and yellow…and blue." Melanie smiled.

"I made a complete fool of myself…" Marcie sighed, flopping on the ground. "I can't cook ANYTHING right."

Patty sighed as she looked over at Violet. "Poor girl…she's putting to much stress on her."

"Maybe we can help." Violet suggested.

"Yeah kiddo." Peppermint Patty smiled, ruffling her friend's hair playfully, avoiding the spots covered in dyes.

"No Sir, I don't need any help." Marcie explained. "Well…maybe just a ladder to clean the ceiling, but nothing else."

"Can I help in anyway here?" a boy asked as the kids looked up to him (no pun intended).

"Actually, Ox, you're just the guy we need for the job." Patty smiled to her boyfriend as Olaf looked around in shock. Andy's fur frizzled at the sight of the Van Pelt's kitchen too.

"Also, what happened here?" Ox asked.

"You don't want to know…" Violet chuckled.

"I'm just sorry this had to happen to the kitchen…" the bespectacled girl sighed as Frieda got down to her level and sighed. "I know, I know…these things happen; but I feel like I could've avoided this…"

"Hun, we're not mad at you…" Frieda tried sugarcoating without luck. "we're just a little mad at you…fine, we're crossed…but we can fix this, can't we?"

"I can do this on my own, Frieda! I'm not two! I'm nine!" Marcie snapped.

"That too…" Linus muttered.

"Just tell us how on Earth the kitchen became a battle zone for paint ball." Cobra exclaimed.

"I tried blending the eggs, tripped on my shoelaces, spilt the dyes everywhere, freaked out over a spider and crashed into the counter…want more?" the bespectacled girl groaned.

"No…that's enough." Rattler cringed.

"Ouch…" Lucy stated.

"I also haven't slept since Thursday night…" Marcie added softly, hoping no one would hear her.

"And you think you're gonna be able to clean up the kitchen and prepare everything for tomorrow?" Ox wondered. "Kids these days…"

"I know…we're one of a kind." Thibault smiled.

"Look kid…WE'LL handle the clean up while YOU catch up on sleep." Violet suggested.

"No…I'm not even tired." Marcie denied.

"You're right. You're more stubborn than sleepy." Cobra joked.

"Freckles, you've got one weird friend." Rattler whispered in the tomboy's ear.

"Say it again, Rattler; I already knew that though." Peppermint Patty smirked.

Ox sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. "Nice decorating job, Lucy…I would've never thought to put eggs on my ceiling." He joked.

"Wow…thanks…" Marcie sighed.

"Hun, you just need to let us help you right now." Frieda smiled.

"Frieda has her point, Marcie. Even the Easter Beagle has his helpers." Linus agreed.

"So, you gonna accept some help, Marce?" Peppermint Patty asked.

"At a time like this, I need all the help I can get…" Marcie sighed.

"Good idea, Marcie." Linus smiled.

"We're going to be fine, you just need to mellow out." Patty agreed.

"We'll have everything ready by five in the evening too." Violet added.

"We promise." The freckled girl reassured.

"Thanks, Peppermint Patty…" The bespectacled girl smiled, hugging Peppermint Patty happily as her freckled friend blushed.

"Don't call me 'Peppermint Patty' though…" the tomboy chuckled.

"Alright…Sally, Eudora and Dolores can help me make some stylish baskets; Peppermint Patty, you, Franco and Hans can make some candies; Violet, Patty, Frieda, Melanie, Franklin, Ox, Charlie Brown, Linus and Rerun can help with making the rest of the bonnets; Pigpen, Michael, Cobra, Rattler and Thibault can help with making the dyes and Shermy, Claudia and Krissy can help prepare the eggs." Lucy announced.

"Sounds like fun." Melanie cheered, doing her own version of Snoopy's happy dance.

"What can I do?" Marcie drowsily asked.

"You can just stay out of trouble for us." Peppermint Patty shushed. "Besides, you need the sleep." She giggled.

"No I don't…need sleep…"

"As if…Snoop and Woodstock are going to help us out too, kid." Lucy explained.

"Andy and Olaf too?" Melanie questioned.

"Yes, them too." Linus smiled.

"LET'S GET TO WORK!" Violet cheered.

"Except you, kid; you need to catch up on sleep." Peppermint Patty reminded Marcie. "When we're done, we'll let you know."

"Thanks…" Marcie smiled.

"Come on, guys." Patty called out.

"Let's do this." Shermy insisted.

"Get everyone to know what we're up to." Rerun added.

"That's going to be a lot of people if we ask everyone." Melanie reasoned as Rerun face palmed.

**NEXT CHAPTER: ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL!**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: TEAM EASTER BEAGLE**

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: For this Chapter, Peppermint Patty will be doing some narrating. It will be in italics like this paragraph. There will also be flashbacks to It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown in italics, those will be followed and ended by timelapses._

_I guess when I decided to help Marcie with her Easter project, I bit off more than I could chew-it's an expression, Melanie._

Sally held one of the unfinished baskets in her lap as Eudora tied a pretty pink ribbon around it. "Looking good, ladies." Michael smiled.

"Thanks." Sally beamed.

Snoopy napped peacefully on the grass, next to the treehouse as he let out the occasional snore. Gracie, Claudia's dog, was romping in the grass, chasing butterflies while Andy and Olaf watched Rattler and Ox respectively as they worked on their parts of making egg dyes and bonnets. Spike smiled as he put an olive green ribbon on his cowboy hat. Woodstock and his feather friends were also asleep with Snoopy; Woodstock using Snoopy's ear as a blanket as he slept on his friend's muzzle.

"This is gonna be tricky." Franklin explained.

"Why, Frankie? You're doing a good job." Melanie reassured.

"I don't have the skill for making bonnets." He confessed.

"At least you don't have to worry about buying new shoes this year." Charlie Brown chuckled to Sally, who slumped in her wheelchair as if to say 'I can't stand it.'

Claudia smiled as she began coloring the eggs, humming to herself as she placed some stickers on the already dry Easter eggs. Krissy smiled at her little sister as she placed her old sunhat on her.

"You look beautiful, Claudia Alexandra." Krissy smiled softly.

"Thanks." Claudia blushed, not making any eye contact.

Peppermint Patty sighed, wondering about how they would finish the art job, crafting job AND food job by five in the evening. "Maybe me wanting to pitch in's a bad idea…" she doubted.

"No, Freundin; it great idea." Franco reassured.

"I just feel bad for even thinking how hazardous it would've been to do Easter eggs with Marcie…she just wanted to surprise me." The freckled girl sighed.

"Don't you mean Sir-prize?" Charlie Brown snickered.

"Oh be quiet." Lucy sighed.

"Why? I think that joke's funny." Schroeder blushed.

"Exactly." Charlie Brown replied.

_We continued with the preparations for tomorrow when I had a thought._

"When we finish, let's go home." Peppermint Patty smiled.

"Why?" Linus wondered.

"So we can prepare ourselves for tomorrow. We have to look our best for when the Easter Beagle arrives." She replied.

"When does this Easter Beagle show up?" Melanie questioned.

"Tomorrow morning early in the morning." Linus explained.

"Wow…" Rerun realized. "I'm always up at 7."

Snoopy snorted, rousing from sleep as he smiled sleepily. "It's Easter tomorrow, huh? Better get ready." He smiled, placing the already dry Easter eggs in the baskets and collecting the candies. "Sing us a song, Sweetie." He insisted to Frieda.

"Way ahead of you, fuzzy face." Frieda snickered.

_The Easter Bunny is comin' to town today_

_Here's hopin' he's hippity-hoppin' your way_

_So straighten your bonnets and shine up all your shoes_

_And hurry. There's no time to lose_

_The Easter Bunny is comin' to town today_

_He's ridin' an engine instead of a sleigh_

_Don't blink for even a second or he'll be gone_

_He puffs in at quarter to dawn_

_He'll be fillin' Easter baskets_

_He'll be rollin' eggs like mad_

_Green and everything that's winter clad_

_The Easter Bunny is comin' to town today_

_Here's hopin' he's hippity-hoppin' your way_

_So get your brushes and paints. Give him a hand_

_It's Easter throughout of the land_

"I can't wait." Sally squealed.

"Neither can I." Peppermint Patty smiled as she looked over at the red egg Claudia finished preparing. "Hey, Claude…can I have that egg once it's dry?" Krissy smiled as Claudia nodded her head in agreement.

"I hope all our hard work pays off and no one gets hurt." Patty sighed.

"Yeah…I hope so too." Ox sighed.

"I just hope everything goes according to plan." Peppermint Patty confessed.

"Same." Krissy sighed. "You're just kids, you should be having a joyous life; not one filled with tragedy after tragedy."

"Yeah." Claudia sighed.

"I also hope Marcie feels better soon…I hate seeing anyone so…" the tomboy began.

"F-frazzled?" Claudia wondered.

"Yeah…that's the word." Peppermint Patty responded. "And exhausted."

"At l-least we can help out."

"Yeah Claude…"

Linus sighed as Eudora walked towards him. "Hun, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I just…feel like…like nothing is ever going to go right for us. Maybe after all these years, Charlie Brown is right." Linus sighed.

"I doubt it. He may have self-confidence; but something will go right for once…the Christmas play went well until the end. Charlie Brown CAN kick a football and win a baseball game, he has a charismatic girlfriend and us, his friends." Lucy reminded.

"That's true." Rerun reminded.

"Remember when we got lost on our way home from the student exchange program?" Charlie Brown chuckled.

"Yeah, Chuck." Peppermint Patty smiled.

"Or the first time we met the Easter Beagle?" Linus added.

_**FOUR YEARS AGO**_

"_You've done it again, haven't you? I've been sitting here since dawn waiting for the Easter Beagle! Where is he? I don't know why I always listen to you! I NEVER LEARN! You said the Easter Beagle was coming! Well, where is he?" Sally Brown scolded to Linus Van Pelt as he blushed behind his blanket. _

_Charlie Brown slumped on his front step as he looked over at Lucy, she was happy without a care in the world. "I know why they have holidays." He realized. "They have holidays so people can get together and have fun. So why am I alone?"_

"_This is going to be the best Easter egg hunt ever and I'm going to find them all." Lucy beamed happily as Woodstock meanwhile dozed in his nest._

"_I'm the laughing stock of the neighborhood! You've made a fool of me! Why do I always listen to you? Trust me, you said. Trust me, trust me. Now I've been burned again. NEVER TRUST A MAN WITH A BLANKET! GET ME MY LAWYER! I'VE BEEN HUMILIATED!" Sally rambled on angrily._

_**PRESENT DAY**_

"So how'd you meet the Easter Beagle then?" Melanie wondered.

"We were getting to that part." Lucy smiled.

_**FOUR YEARS EARLIER**_

_A beagle-like figure began skipping happily across the damp grass, a big smile was plastered on his face and he oddly resembled Snoopy. Peppermint Patty and Marcie were the first to take notice. Then Linus noticed._

"_Is it? It is! He's coming! He's coming! The Easter Beagle is coming!" Linus announced to everyone. Sally, Charlie Brown and Lucy looked over in disbelief._

_Snoopy danced about merrily, tossing Easter eggs to and frow as he smiled. He danced carefreely as he handed two brightly colored eggs to Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Then to Linus and Sally, then to Schroeder, Woodstock and Lucy._

"_Thank you, Easter Beagle! Thank you!" Linus happily called out._

"_Thank you very, very much." Sally smiled, putting her Easter egg to her cheek._

"_Thank you." Schroeder smiled._

_Woodstock was awoken to an Easter egg being tossed on his head and stared at it in confusion before turning it into a cradle to sleep on._

_Lucy however was speechless when Snoopy handed her an Easter egg. To her, it looked awfully familiar._

_Snoopy then preformed a dance for Charlie Brown before realizing he was out of Easter eggs and grinned sheepily._

_**PRESENT DAY**_

"And he's done that routine ever since." Charlie Brown explained.

"Wow." Franco exclaimed in awe.

"The only thing Germany was missing was an Easter Beagle. Then we would've felt right at home." Peppermint Patty giggled.

"Well…here's something I want to know: when we have Easter eggs, what do we do?" Melanie questioned.

_Oy…wait till we tell her about hat happened AFTER we met the Easter Beagle…she'll flip her lid._

"You don't want to know, Mel." Franklin chuckled.

"Or else it'd be blind leading the blind…" the freckled girl giggled to herself, thankful Melanie didn't hear her.

_In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it,_

_You'll be the grandest lady in the Easter Parade._

_I'll be all in clover and when they look you over,_

_I'll be the proudest fellow in the Easter Parade._

_On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us,_

_And you'll find that you're in the rotogravure._

_Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet,_

_And of the girl I'm taking to the Easter Parade._

**NEXT CHAPTER: GOOD MORNING, EASTER BEAGLE**

'**The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town' **written by Maury Laws and Jules Bass

© Warner Home Video

'**Easter Parade' **written by Irving Berlin

© Imagem U.S. LLC


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7: IT'S EASTERTIME ONCE AGAIN, CHARLIE BROWN**

Peppermint Patty awoke early at quarter to five to the sound of Claudia tossing pebbles at the window. "Ch-Charlie Brown sent me." She explained, dressed in a frilly baby yellow dress, a matching bonnet and MaryJane's.

"What time is it?" a groggy Peppermint Patty yawned.

"Time to w-wait for the Easter B-b-Beagle." Claudia smiled.

"Figures…I never knew you were an early bird, Claude." The tomboy sighed, putting a green buttoned shirt on over her pajama top.

"I am." Claudia explained.

"I thought so…" Patty yawned a little.

The two girls soon noticed their friends waiting for the Easter Beagle as well.

"I hope he likes carrots." Melanie smiled, holding a bunch of carrots in her hands.

Hans just sighed as he watched the grass, wondering when the Easter Beagle and Marcie would show up or who would arrive first.

"He'll get over it." Linus sighed.

"Really?" Eudora asked, her hat was askew, and she blinked sleepily.

"Yeah, babe." He replied as Peppermint Patty looked around worriedly.

"This is gonna be the best Easter ever, guys! I can feel it!" Lucy exclaimed eagerly.

Minutes and minutes passed with no sign of the Easter Beagle. More of the gang showed up but the Easter Beagle was nowhere in sight. Oddly, neither were Gracie, Spike, Olaf and Andy.

"Well? Where is he?" Michael wondered.

"I knew this would happen." Sally sulked, sinking in her wheelchair.

"Look…I'm sorry he's not showing up yet." Linus explained. "This happens every Easter though; but unlike the Great Pumpkin, the Easter Beagle does show up."

"Wo ist der Osterbeagle?*" Franco wondered.

"Er wird irgendwann auftauchen **." Schroeder replied

"Is anyone else curious to know what they're talking about?" Lucy questioned.

"I'm curious to know where Andy is." Rattler whispered.

"Why can't I have a normal dog like everyone else?" Ox wondered.

"Welcome to my world, Ox. Fist bump?" Charlie Brown chuckled.

"It's not like the Easter Beagle to be this late…" Linus sighed.

"I knew I should've never trusted you, Linus! He's coming, you said! Trust me, you said, trust me. He's on his way. You don't need to worry, Sally Brown. He's gonna show up with beautifully colored eggs for everyone, Sally. We have absolutely nothing to worry about. As if. WHERE'S MY LAWYER AND MY ATTORNEY? I'VE BEEN ROBBED YET AGAIN! I should've never trusted you, Linus Van Pelt!" Sally exclaimed before wheeling herself away from her friends and ex-boyfriend.

"Sally, come back." Charlie Brown sighed, walking towards his sister. "Look, Sally, the Easter Beagle will show up. He's shown up before and he'll show up again. You just need to be patient, little sis."

"I've been patient since dawn, Big Brother…we all know the Easter Beagle will never show up so what's the use in waiting for him?" she asked.

"Good things come to those who wait." Linus replied.

"They sure do, babe." Michael explained.

"It's like when you're in rehab; you don't learn how to walk without learning to stand and you don't learn to stand without getting out of your wheelchair. The Easter Beagle will show up and we'll all get to see him." Charlie Brown added.

"Thanks, Big Brother." Sally smiled as she wheeled back towards her friends. Michael immediately gave Sally a gentle hug of happiness. "Happiness is being with your boyfriend at Easter." She sighed happily.

Claudia smiled happily as she worked on a drawing in her sketchbook of a beagle with a cotton tail and bunny ears. Yet she kept thinking about Gracie and where she was. Krissy pulled her little sister in a hug as they all kept waiting for the Easter Beagle.

Dolores sighed as a spring butterfly landed on her nose. "That tickles." She exclaimed.

"Looks beautiful…wonder what kind of butterfly it is." Lucy smiled.

"Be careful, Lori… if you fall asleep and wake up to find the butterfly is gone, it's actually an angel and it has sent you a message to tell the world." Peppermint Patty joked.

"What kind of butterfly is it anyways?" Violet questioned.

"I think it's a painted lady." Patty suggested.

"It's a butterfly; not a lady." Melanie remarked.

"I can't stand it." Charlie Brown chuckled to himself.

Hans sighed before noticing someone coming. "It's the Osterbeagle!" he exclaimed.

"The who?" almost all the kids asked.

"He said Easter Beagle." Schroeder translated.

"It is?" the kids wondered before realizing it was only Andy, dancing happily.

"Well, at least we found one dog." Rattler sighed as she hugged her furry friend.

"Yeah…" Peppermint Patty sighed.

A little more time passed and soon Marcie and Olaf joined up with the kids.

"G-good morning." Claudia perkily greeted.

"Good morning to you t-MORNING?" Marcie realized.

"Yeah, morning." Peppermint Patty giggled.

"Oh good grief…I knew something was wrong. Sir, I told you to wake me when you guys were done with preparations yesterday."

"Yeah, kid...well, you looked too peaceful."

Olaf smiled as he and Andy danced around happily, whistling.

Anyone see the Easter Beagle yet?" Linus wondered.

Ox sighed, looking around. "Hey guys, I see something." He explained as everyone looked to where Ox was pointing: two white beagles with Easter baskets were dancing as they handed out the eggs. One of them had a cowboy hat on.

"It's the Easter Beagle!" Linus cheered.

"And his brother!" Rerun added, twirling about happily.

Snoopy smiled as he and Spike handed beautiful eggs to everyone including Charlie Brown who beamed in delight at the beautiful yellow Easter egg with a zigzag Snoopy handed him. The rest of the eggs were scattered around the ground.

"I thought we only made twenty-four eggs: one for everyone of us." Lucy pointed out.

"My brothers and I made extra for the egg hunt and for everyone else." Andy smiled as he, Olaf and Snoopy planted three dog kisses on Lucy's face.

"This is going to be the best Easter ever, Sir." Marcie smiled, hugging Peppermint Patty.

"I know, kid." The freckled girl laughed.

"Marcie, you're the smart one." Melanie began, holding a two toned purple egg in her hands. "What do I do with an Easter egg when I get one? It always made me curious."

"Oh no…" Peppermint Patty groaned.

"We eat them; we pour salt on them and at them." Marcie replied, handing Melanie the salt shaker from her pocket. The blonde girl smiled and sprinkled the salt on the egg before taking a huge bite.

"Oh good grief." Charlie Brown sighed.

"Where'd the salt shaker come from?" Linus asked.

"Not bad…could use a little pepper though." Melanie smiled, licking her lips as Peppermint Patty fainted.

"Freundin?" Franco wondered.

"She'll snap out of it soon." Schroeder replied.

"Incidentally…did you guys have any problems yesterday?" Marcie wondered.

"No…we even told everyone about when we met the Easter Beagle." Charlie Brown smiled.

"He's a wonderful dog, Charlie Brown." Frieda smiled as Faron batted his egg in curiosity.

"Yeah. But next Halloween, the Great Pumpkin WILL show up!" Linus announced. "Or my name isn't Linus Van Pelt." Eudora giggled at her boyfriend's antics.

"Happy Easter, babe." Frieda smiled, kissing Charlie Brown on the lips as Rerun covered his eyes.

"Happy Easter to you too, Frieda." Charlie Brown replied as their lips parted ways.

Krissy sighed. "Claudia…dad…has other plans…we won't see him this year." She explained.

"I never g-get to see him." Claudia sighed.

"It's…better this way." Krissy wanted to say, but instead hugged Claudia. One day she'd tell her the truth about their dad, and she knew an easy way to introduce the two.

**NEXT CHAPTER: CLAUDIA, KRISSY AND THEIR DAD**

German Translations

*= Where's the Easter Beagle?

**= He'll show up eventually


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8: MEETING DAD**

Later, Claudia and Krissy were at the Sparkyville Jail, Claudia held onto a basket full of pretty eggs, candies and a chocolate bunny as Krissy got a hold of the phone, ready to make a call.

"Hi…dad…it's Krissy…" Krissy attempted to hide her tears as Claudia watched in awe. "Yes dad…it's been ten years…I miss you…yeas dad, mom told me not to talk to you; but I couldn't help it…I want you to meet someone: I want you to meet your daughter." She sniffled, handing the phone to Claudia.

"H-hello? Dad? Happy Easter." Claudia whispered on the phone. "I m-made you a c-care package." Krissy could only watch her little sister happily, proud of the caring girl she has raised like her own daughter. If their mom didn't want Claudia to know about their dad, it was her problem; this was good for Claudia as she finally had some closure with her dad as Krissy always rebelled here to talk to him. One day though, Krissy would tell Claudia what happened to their dad way before she was even born. One day.

"Claudia…" Krissy sighed, tapping her sister on the shoulder once she hung up the prison phone. "You can't tell mom about this. she doesn't want you to know about dad either...this is our little secret." She explained.

"M-my lips are s-sealed." Claudia smiled as the two walked home where they knew their cousins and niece were already waiting for them.

"Good." Krissy responded. "Happy Easter, little sister."

"Happy Easter to you too." The youngest Grandin child beamed.

**THE END (ALMOST)**

**EPILOGUE NEXT!**


	9. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE by Marcie, Peppermint Patty and Claudia**

[Peppermint Patty]: Peppermint Patty here and boy was that some Easter…I'm still getting over a stomach ache from eating all that candy. It's not as bad as the last stomach ache I had though. As for me and Marce, I explained to her that I wasn't mad at her anymore and that I appreciated her attempt to surprise me with making Easter eggs all by herself. At least she was amazed to learn that I forgive her. Lucille is going to be cautious when approaching ANY kitchen from now on…or until we can finally explain to Marcie how to prepare an Easter egg…that should take us…four years.

[Marcie]: Sir!

[Peppermint Patty]: I was kidding, Marcie.

[Marcie]: Also…Pigpen was still mad at me for the ceramic egg ordeal, so I decided to make it up to him. I'm going to make some chocolates or cupcakes with Claudia and Krissy's supervision…we're still trying to decide on what to bake as an apology gift. Peppermint Patty is still a bit upset at the mess on Saturday, but what's done is done.

[Claudia]: Yeah. And I got to m-meet my dad.

[Peppermint Patty]: Lucky.

[Claudia]: Yeah. Krissy's g-going to tell me m-more about him when I'm older.

[Marcie]: Sounds exciting.

[Claudia]: It's s-something for me to l-look forward to.

[Peppermint Patty]: I can imagine.

[Claudia]: I'm still t-trying to find Gracie though. I have n-n-no idea where she could be, but I'm looking for her.

[Peppermint Patty]: I almost forgot.

[Peppermint Patty, Marcie and Claudia]: Happy Easter.

**THE END**

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Like in my last fan-episode; the only characters I own are Claudia, Krissy and Gracie. all other characters belong to HPDrummerman and Charles M Schulz_


End file.
